9 Months of Ups and Downs
by Vanille Strawberry
Summary: She didn't know how she knew; she just did. It was female intuition-- or those mothering instincts the older women of the village always talked about. Astrid just knew she was pregnant. possible spoilers. Oneshot. New Days Dawning universe.


Disclaimer: I no own HTTYD

A/N: This is set in the 'New Days Dawning' universe. I kinda skipped the proposal and wedding and went straight into Hiccup and Astrid's first child. I kinda figured if they married as young as in 'New Days Dawning', they'd have kids quite young too. So in this Astrid is about 16 and Hiccup is roughly around that age too I suppose :)

Easter Sunday everybody!! Whoo. Went to mass, had lunch with my grandmother and then took a ride with my dad through the countryside. Like good little recycling folks we picked up a bucket in the foliage. 'Tis soooo pretty. Blue and it has a _handle_. Doesn't get any better than that, does it?

Enjoy

PS. Love Ruffnut in this!

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-9 Months of Ups and Downs-

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Astrid sat heavily on the edge of the bed in nothing but a tunic and short slacks, with hands pressing down on her abdomen and fingers splaying out across the skin. Toned muscles due to years of dragon and military training met her touch. She puffed out an angry breath and eyed her flat stomach wearily. It would not be long before that changed.

She didn't know how she knew; she just did. It was female intuition-- or those mothering instincts the older women of the village always talked about. Astrid just knew she was pregnant.

There were signs too.

Not flashy over the top signs, but signs none the less. Like how the blonde Viking could not set foot in the Dinning Hall without running out moments later to heave her guts behind a bush. Even the faintest scent of ham had her feeling nauseated. Or how she was constantly exhausted and trudged to combat training each morning before rejoining her bed immediately after, much to Hiccups bewilderment.

Yeah, she was pretty sure she was pregnant. And the all-knowing Gobber believed so too along with her mother and Ruffnut of all people.

Astrid rubbed a thumb across the pale skin and bit her lip. She couldn't be too far along in the pregnancy if she had not been feeling the baby. Her mother had always said, for as long as the Viking could remember, the moment she knew she was truly pregnant was when Astrid had kicked her in the ribcage. No, she wasn't far along. Her baby had not developed enough to kick her into submission … thank Thor.

Astrid's eyes swung to the small woven basket sitting mockingly on a pelt armchair at the far end of the room. Ruffnut had presented it to her one evening with a wink and a sly "Something tells me you'll be needing this" before scampering off down the hill that the Haddock's home was situated upon. Hiccup had been using the basket as a storage space for dragon reins oblivious to its actual purpose. Not that Astrid was going to ruin his fun by pointing out that woven baskets lined with blankets and pillows were no place to put dragon equipment. He would have to figure that one out on his own.

She sighed and fell back onto the bed, hooking one arm under her head and watching shadows play across the ceiling and overhead rafters. Her other hand still ghosted the area where her unborn child lay undiscovered to the rest of the world. Astrid felt a strange sense of possession over this tiny human being-- like this little secret was hers and hers alone. Sure, she knew she would have to eventually tell someone but there was something almost exciting about the whole situation. She was treating it almost like a game, stretching the boundaries of silence as far as they would go.

Astrid thought about all the things she would have to do once the pregnancy advanced into its final stages. Combat training was out of the question--(she was certain Hiccup would make sure of that) along with flying she supposed. Astrid did not know if the change in altitude and the breakneck speeds dragons tended to indulge in would harm the baby, but she wasn't going to take any chances. Chomper would just have to contend himself with flying with the other dragons for the time being. A trip to the village elder was also in order so that she could bless the child and give an offering to the Gods in thanks.

Yawning, Astrid wondered how Hiccup would take the news. They had not spoken about children in much detail before. All Astrid knew was that Hiccup wanted a maximum of two because he had grown up an only child and hated the burdening solitude that came with that title. Astrid only hoped that one of those two children could be a little girl. She didn't know why, it was just something she had always thought about. A little blonde haired girl who would look up to her and want to be just like her-- Astrid smiled dreamily at the possibility.

But of course, whatever gender the baby turned out to be, Astrid knew she would love it unconditionally. There was no hesitation at all when she pondered it. It was simply a fact. She would love, adore, protect, care and nurture her child no matter what it looked liked or who it became. Astrid felt overwhelmed with the emotions pressing over her and rubbed her stomach in lazily circles. Her baby would be a mixture of herself and Hiccup. The notion was pleasing and tightened a warm hold on her heart.

Also, there were questions that needed asking. How would Chomper and Toothless take a baby in the house? Astrid knew how frustrated they were already. Their was constant competition to be top dragon, to gain attention from both Hiccup and Astrid, or even to be the first one fed every morning. Astrid did not know what kind of resentment the Night Fury and Deadly Nadder would have against a baby that would require constant care. She didn't mind to know to be honest-- that bridge would be crossed in due time.

Astrid took a deep breath. A serpent of worry began to coil and hiss in her stomach as she thought of all the changes her life was going to go through. Ironically, now that it was happening, she didn't know if she was ready.

Currently, she had no one to talk to. Her mother had left with some other Vikings on a trading mission to another village. And Astrid did not feel comfortable enough talking with any of the women in Berk. Ruffnut however had been eyeing her from time to time, clearly waiting to be asked. That was a debatable choice. Sure, Ruffnut and Tuffnut had a parade of younger and older siblings and surely knew how to care for children, but the female twin had the largest mouth on the Island. Astrid didn't see how she could confide her secret in the warrior without having it going around the village as local gossip.

A knock at the door roused her to attention. She smiled sleepily when she saw Hiccup's sheepish head sticking in the crack of the door-- shallow breathing indicating that Toothless was hot at his heels wanting to be included. A squawk that sounded suspiciously like Chomper cut through the silence as well.

"Hey," Hiccup murmured.

She smiled at him. "Hey. What are you doing home so early?"

Hiccup, battling his way into the room while trying to push the dragons away, turned to stare at her concernedly. "I was worried about you-- Toothless go outside! Chomper don't you dare barge in here, go out!"

Chomper shrieked and Astrid sat up as her dragon's head stuck in the space between the wall and the door Hiccup was trying to close. The large eyes swivelled around the room and fell on their master with such anxiety that Astrid's eyes began to water at the love and sense of protection her dragon had for her.

_Stupid hormones …_

"It's okay, Chomp. I'm alright, see?" Astrid spread her arms out wide and blinked back the tears. The dragon snorted, glared at Hiccup who scowled right back (whenever his wife was concerned the young man could be downright ferocious) and shuffled out allowing the door to close.

Hiccup walked to lie across the bed beside his wife and Astrid leant her head on his stomach, sighing as he ran fingers through strands of blonde hair. She counted to twenty-three before he mustered the courage to talk.

"Astrid? I'm getting worried." His voice was soft and smooth-- blending in with the mood of the room.

Astrid tried to act surprised with his revelation. "You are?" However, he gave her this look that spoke volumes and her eyes fell in embarrassment. "Alright, I give."

The fingers in her hair stopped and she looked up. "I have something to tell you, Hiccup."

"Okay."

Astrid bit her lip and tried to not dwell on all those horrible images consisting of Hiccup storming out of the room in a fury. She was not exactly sure of how he would react. Would he think they were too young? Or that they had too much to do in the village before they could properly take care of a child? Then again … would he be ecstatic? Only the mental image that she hung onto for dear life of Hiccup holding his child in his arms with a goofy smile made Astrid take a deep breath.

"I'm pregnant."

There was a pause. A long excruciating pause that nearly brought Astrid to tears. But to her incomprehension, Hiccup began to laugh and she reddened in anger. Did he _dare _think this was a joke?!

"That would explain a lot!"

Astrid snapped into a sitting position and blatantly gaped at her husband as he lay there, chuckling and watching her. She opened her mouth a few times to speak but could not find the strength to formulate anything besides a "Huh?"

He huffed, "Does everyone think I'm an idiot?" Before Astrid could cut in and contradict, he went on, "You've stopped riding on Chomper; you all but run away from Toothless when he starts being rambunctious; Odin help the poor sod who takes your grilled cod and especially--" He kissed her softly, "I've seen you staring at the younger children a lot more."

Astrid smiled sheepishly knowing full well that she had been caught. She hooked a finger around Hiccup's collar and tugged him to her lips as his hands framed her face softly. All those worries of him leaving evaporated as he murmured against her lips in wonderment "I'm gonna be a dad?"

Astrid pulled away from him slowly, giggling and crying-- stroking his cheeks with her palms. "Yeah. How does Daddy Hiccup sound?"

He smiled the largest smile and for a single shinning moment Astrid Sigrid Haddock the I, forgot to breathe.

* * *

When Astrid was fourteen weeks in, she was completely sure she as in hell. Or heaven, she was not quite decided yet. There were definitely good things about her pregnancy; like how people constantly commented on her motherly glow and how happy she seemed; if she was in a murderous mood no one took notice and passed it off as hormones; and how Chomper had become a lot more affectionate and considerate of his riders emotional instability. The Nadder was constantly at Astrid's side, nipping at her clothes affectionately and growling whenever another dragon got too close.

However, there were drawbacks. Like how she was starting to show a bump and her once taught stomach had now completely lost its shape. Her protective light armour had begun to feel tight and Astrid had been forced into a looser skirt and a pair of cotton slacks. Morning sickness was another downside for sure, as was Hiccup's newfound annoying habit to check on her every fifteen minutes of every freaking day. She wondered briefly if her new appreciation for onions could be counted as a nuisance too.

Astrid sat heavily against the wooden wall of the Dragon Riding training dome to watch Hiccup teach the new generation how to start bonding with their first dragons. He was a good and patient teacher who did not mind prying the children from his legs when they got spooked by the newly hatched dragons that weren't even half their size.

Stretching her limbs, Astrid smiled, thinking fondly of their own little child learning how to interact with his or her own dragon. Of course, he would have a head start on the other kids; his dad being Hiccup and all.

When the class ended and a dozen or so little bodies shuffled out into Berk excitedly once more, Astrid picked herself up with a grunt and dusted herself off. Hiccup led a tiny Terrible Terror back into its pen and turned slightly to wave in her direction.

"Hey!"

He ran towards her and Astrid found herself spinning in the confines of two strong arms. She barely held back a squeal of surprise before Hiccup was kissing her in greeting. She was placed back on her feet, one of Hiccup's arms winding around her waist in one fluid motion, before she was even sure what had happened.

"Hello to you too. Finished for today?" Astrid asked breathlessly as Hiccup led her outside slowly--Fishlegs passed them with his class skipping at his heels. They craned their heads watching the little seven year olds following the dragon expert before he was obscured from their views.

"Yeah, I'm done for the day. Fishlegs and Tuffnut are taking over." Hiccup blinked into the sudden appearance of sunlight and put a protective hand over Astrid's eyes. She bat him away with a sudden glare.

"I'm fine, Hiccup."

He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "Right, right, sorry." They walked in a loose silence into the main square before Toothless from the front porch of the Haddock abode, spotted them and sprung into the air.

Though dragons were a typical and much loved sight around Berk, there was still that shot of excitement and deliria as screams of 'Night Fury!' rang out amongst the crowd. Astrid bit her lip at the sight of Toothless bounding towards them in huge leaps. One of her arms wrapped around her widening stomach protectively and she tried to hide a little behind Hiccup. The young rider chuckled and stopped Toothless in his tracks with one hand.

"Whoa, boy." Hiccup scratched the Night Fury under his chin. "Easy around Astrid. C'mon, calm down."

The dragon sat back on his haunches in the middle of the square and whined. Astrid punched Hiccup out of the way and he shied from the sting but chuckled none the less. Toothless nuzzled her offered hand and the blonde Viking grinned. The Night Fury had been excruciatingly patient with both his masters and Astrid's reluctance to be around any sort of dragon, including her own Chomper who was taking the separation with increased ill will. Petting only went so far with a Nadder as they much preferred to fly-- and Chomper loved riding through the clouds with Astrid more than anything in the world.

"You missed us, Toothless?" She itched a spot behind his ear that he particularly loved and the dragon's eyes slid shut in pleasure. He grunted his acknowledgement. "It's okay, big guy. I've got a special meal for you tonight."

And that just happened to be the magic word. Toothless ran back towards the house, yelping in excitement and barrelling through people and other dragons. Hiccup laughed and ran as fast as he could with his leg after his dragon, waving his hands about oblivious to the strange looks he was receiving from the veterans of Berk.

Ruffnut passed by with one of her younger siblings hiked in her arms, throwing Astrid a large knowing grin. The blonde Viking sighed good-naturedly and set off after her husband. It did not seem so bad to see the back of Toothless and Hiccup if she imagined a little toddler hobbling after them.

_That _was definitely a plus to her pregnancy.

* * *

She was in bed when it hit her that she was huge now. Lying on her back, blinking sleepily as Hiccup swung out of bed clumsily to start his day; Astrid raised her arms and found that her large stomach obstructed the way. It was not as if she hadn't noticed she had grown out of every pair of clothes she had ever owned (_she had noticed_) Astrid just loathed to be reminded.

No one seemed to care that she had ballooned larger than a Monstrous Nightmare. Actually, her mother thought it was marvellous! And people constantly rubbed her stomach without asking and Astrid was expected to smile and nod and not hit them over the head with the blunt end of the axe she was too tired to carry now. The only people she had only fantasized about killing less than twice (or was it three times?) consisted of Stoic, her mother, and Ruffnut of all people.

Ruffnut just understood. That was the most incredible thing. Astrid enjoyed her company and found that whenever days got too long or the rest of the village deserved to die, she would just go straight to the younger woman and chat. Ruffnut had been strutting around Berk in utter pride because Astrid had come to her _willingly_ and Tuffnut owed her a new shield.

The other person who did not annoy her thoroughly was her father in law. Stoic came by every evening. Mostly because Astrid was decidedly warmer at night than she was during the day, and the dragons were always friendlier after their evening meal when they curled up by the fire. The Chief would sit by the hearth and revel in times gone by-- spouting Hiccup baby stories that served the purpose of making his daughter in law giggle and his son groan. If there was one person more excited about Astrid's pregnancy besides her husband, it was his father. Stoic's every waking moment seemed partitioned between the village and his grandchild.

Hiccup thought it was great that Stoic was taking an active interest in the next generation of Haddocks. The two men could be found occasionally at the Dinning Hall conversing lightly. Stoic was ecstatic that they finally had something to talk about, to the point that Astrid sometimes had to physically drag Hiccup home.

Her husband leaned down sleepily and kissed her on the lips before kissing her baby bump. Usually she would let him, roll over, and fall asleep but today she was feeling fat and ugly and the bump just seemed to prove it. So Astrid's bottom lip quivered and she grabbed Hiccup's shirt in a fist and shook him.

"Am I fat?"

Hiccup laughed nervously at her firm grip and pried her stubborn fingers away. He kissed her hand and shook his head. "You're becoming a mother, Astrid."

And though it did not fully reassure her, Astrid mellowed and she felt the hysteria diminish and retreat into a dark place for the next panic attack that would probably occur some time later that day. Hiccup kissed her goodbye again and left the room, throwing an 'I love you' over his shoulder before disappearing.

Ten minutes after he had left, Astrid began to experience the morning aches. She was getting to the stage where her son was starting to notice he could kick (yes, she had figured humouring Stoic and his obsession over a grandson would save her a lot of stress and arguments) And when the sun rose, so did the baby. He had a fascination with dawn that his poor exhausted mother would never understand.

Her hand rubbed smooth circles across her bump, wincing as her 'son' nudged against her ribcage.

"You wouldn't settle down for your mum would you?" Astrid pleaded lowly to her stomach. She got an answer in the form of a piercing kick. "I'll take that as a … no," she wheezed.

Already she knew he was going to be a stubborn little thing. He was totally against his mother sleeping in and would tactfully remind her in his sweet little way that she had to get up. And he hated ham (which Hiccup was mourning because Astrid could not stand having it in the vicinity as the baby started a kicking frenzy at the smell) adored the sound of his fathers voice, Toothless' purring and Chomper's soft rumbled noises.

Astrid waited until the pains had subsided so that she could sit up and greet the day. When she got downstairs, she smiled at Hiccup's attempt to put some order around the house. He also still hadn't fully grasped Chomper's breakfast routine because the Nadder was crying outside and scraping at the door-- a sure tell sign that he hadn't been treated with his favourite salmon.

Toothless snoozing in front of the dying embers by the hearth opened one eye lazily when he saw his pregnant master. Astrid pet him fondly when he raised his head and opened the front door, letting Chomper in. He cawed and she laughed.

After having placated the Nadder's terrible appetite and gone about her own chores, Astrid allowed herself a moment to soak up the peace of the village out on the steps. With her back pressed to the front door watching Chomper and Toothless basking in the rare sunlight, the blonde Viking took a gulping breath of fresh air.

Her 'son' nudged her stomach lightly.

Astrid's eyes roamed the sky that was occasionally disturbed by a soaring dragon. "Yeah. I like it here too."

* * *

It was in the evening that it happened. After months of putting on extra weight, of going through a storm of hormonal tempers, and being battered from the inside by her child-- It had all lead up to this. This one deciding moment.

Astrid was with Ruffnut when it happened. Both women had been contentedly dropping off bags of flour to the local bread maker when the blonde Viking had doubled over and scrunched her face in confusion. Only Ruffnut's shrilly screaming had brought her back to reality.

"ASTRID! Your water broke!"

Astrid's gaze swung to the younger girl who had dropped her sac of flower-- white powder drifting lazily across the dirt and Terrible Terrors flocking around it. She looked down from Ruffnut's panic-stricken face to the wet ground. Her water _had _broken.

"Oh …" was all she could say.

Ruffnut sprung to action and seized Astrid's arm to lead her towards the elders hut, bellowing for someone to get Hiccup. Astrid felt so disconnected from her body that she let Ruffnut take charge of the situation. Before long, the elder had ushered them into the hut, laid the young Viking down on a small cot, and forced some concoction down her throat.

"For the pain." She'd been told.

"But I don't feel anything," Astrid tried to voice out but was cut off by the small woman who bustled about loudly gathering things. Ruffnut was blatantly forgotten by the door, pale and uncertain on what to do next.

"Do you … want me to get your mum or something?" The twin asked softly, clenching her fists at her sides and looking about the room in anxiety.

Astrid grunted and laid her head down, relaxing her body into the mattress of the cot. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and everything was strangely muted save for her own shallow breathing. This was really happening. This was _actually _happening.

Thirty minutes later the pain started. Somewhere along the lines of agony Astrid had beckoned Ruffnut to her side and grasped her hand with all the force she could muster-- asking her to talk about anything to make her forget the pain. So a shaking Ruffnut had begun telling her a story about a troll who stalked this little boy and wouldn't leave him alone until he promised to leave a bit of smeared honey on a piece of bread at the entrance of a forest. Astrid whimpered through the whole story and Ruffnut grimaced at the hold on her hand, but neither would openly show they were in discomfort. That was not the Viking way.

It was an hour into the contractions when Hiccup tumbled in a flurry of wild hair and terror, head swinging for a sign of his wife. It had taken the combined efforts of the elder with Snotlout and Tuffnutt to wrench the dragon rider from the hut as he kicked and cursed. Astrid had sat up at he was being extracted, eyes wide and fearful, asking Ruffnut in tears why he was not allowed to stay.

Ruffnut had been baffled at this and had only made up an excuse about 'causing unnecessary strain on the baby'. She was rather glad that Astrid was so caught up in her pain that she couldn't hear her husband fighting with her brother outside. At some point, she left the soon-to-be mother with the elder and went out to check.

The scene she was met with hadn't been pretty.

Hiccup had been pinned to the ground by Snotlout and Tuffnut--who was holding his head down to the dirt--the three boys snarling like wolves. Obviously, Toothless had been left at the Dragon Riding training dome because the Night Fury would have made short work of her brother and the other Viking. It was only for the fact that Astrid's Nadder had also absented himself for the day that either of them were alive right now.

"Guys! Stop fighting! We don't need this right now!"

"Get them off me!" Hiccup bellowed but was only pressed further into the dirt by Snotlout who was clearly enjoying himself.

"No way, buddy," Tuffnut chuckled. "Trust me, you'll thank us later."

Ruffnut rolled her eyes and stuck her head back into the hut for a moment. The elder was mopping Astrid's brow with a wet cloth and soothing words in her ear. The blonde girl was nodding and biting her lip to prevent from screaming aloud.

"Sorry. It's getting ugly out there. Can Hiccup come in?"

The elder glared at her but nodded hesitantly, going back to her work. Ruffnut grinned and stuck her head back out.

"You can let him go, boys! Elder says he can come in!"

The moment the two boys reluctantly relinquished their hold, Hiccup was on his feet and sprinting past Ruffnut and inside the hut. He brushed passed the elder who did not bother to look at him anyway, and went straight to a tearful Astrid's side. She looked up at his approaching footsteps and offered a watery smile.

"You're here," she whispered.

He kissed her damp forehead. "Had to wrestle for it, but yeah." She laughed croakily and Hiccup arched an eyebrow. "You're not screaming abuses at me?"

Astrid shook her head and panted. "Don't have … the … air for it. Might later on."

"Good enough."

It took a total of three excruciating hours, and one broken hand that Ruffnut hid behind her back before they got any kind of headway. It was when the baby began to crown and the elder had pushed everyone out of the way, that anyone saw any kind of momentum in the delivery. A crowd had formed outside the hut with torches lighting the night as they waited for the first signs of the new Haddock.

Astrid screamed.

The elder frowned and looked up at the panting woman. "One more push. I know you can do it."

And as she was instructed, the Viking sucked in a deep breath and yelled the one thing she knew would end this all for good. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU HICCUP!" Hiccup grimaced but held his wife's hand tightly. At the elders side Ruffnut slumped to the ground unconscious and Astrid perked a bit at the thump sound.

An infant's cry broke through all the haze of pain and the fog of agony that had riddled Astrid's body.

"It's a little girl."

Astrid couldn't remember a time when it had felt so good to be wrong. Stoic didn't have a grandson but he had the most perfect little granddaughter in the whole world. And when her little girl, cleaned and swaddled, was placed in her arms … Astrid just could not comprehend this feeling of absolute unconditional love. Hiccup sniffled and kissed both of his girls, hiding his tears in his palm.

Meanwhile, the elder repeatedly slapped a fallen Ruffnut into consciousness.


End file.
